The National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal recently held a three-day National Dairy Mela from April 8 to 10, after a gap of about three years. The event featured various milk yield and breed competitions in which many high-pedigree dairy animals participated. A cloned buffalo named “Swasarupa” was also displayed to the public for the first time at the mela.
Thousands of farmers attended the mela to learn about different techniques, products, and research works related to dairy science. Dr. Bhupendra Nath Tripathi, Deputy Director General (Animal Science) at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, inaugurated the event.
Dr. Dheer Singh, Director of NDRI, described the mela as a platform for bringing the latest technologies in dairy science to farmers. Dr. Tripathi emphasized the importance of promoting indigenous breeds of cows that can sustain climate change. He noted that the number of cows and buffaloes in India has increased from 20 crore during Independence to 30 crore today, thanks to better nutrition and the use of advanced technologies.
Dr. Manmohan Singh Chauhan, Vice Chancellor of GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant Nagar, emphasized the need for farmers and cattle rearers to adopt scientific methods to increase milk production. He observed that science and technology are topics of great importance in the country today.
